


Kintsugi

by the_og_straya



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Broken Bones, Bucky Barnes Gets a Hug, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, i still don’t know how to tag, warning is for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:13:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26850463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_og_straya/pseuds/the_og_straya
Summary: Kintsugi: The Japanese process of repairing broken pottery with gold.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 13
Kudos: 26





	Kintsugi

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so this is for Awesome Best Friend who had surgery! So I went “ok quarantine sucks because I can’t be there right now so imma write you a recovery fic, what do you want” and she went “bet” and “hurt Bucky needing comfort and healing from Steve please” and because we’re cut from the same cloth, I said “BET” and here it is.
> 
> Also it’s LATE and I got up at 4:30 these past 2 nights and didn’t go to bed before midnight either night so. If anything doesn’t make sense.... that’s why. 😬

“Fuck,” Bucky muttered, waking up. His head was pounding, his body generally hurt, and his throat was dry.

For some reason, that’s what bothered him the most.

Even _blinking_ felt weird, but he chalked that up to the drugs he was obviously on, as was evidenced by the IV in the back of his right hand.

He looked around more and smiled when he saw Steve, asleep, slumped over on the bed. Based on his position, Bucky guessed Steve had tried to stay up until Bucky had awakened, but that plan had obviously failed.

His right arm was okay, though his left _ribs_ weren’t, and _what the fuck happened?_ The last thing he remembered...

Oh. Oh, shit.

The last thing he remembered was the Hydra base they’d been sent to infiltrate. Shuri got the words out, alright, which meant these guys went with brute force. Bucky was strong and skilled, but preferred not to kill unless absolutely necessary, and these guys didn’t have that same conviction.

Not to mention there were like, fifty of them. And one of him.

Carefully, so as not to disturb his ribs and his IV, Bucky reached over and poked Steve in the head.

Steve blinked awake, then looked at Bucky and shot upright. “Oh my god, Buck, you’re awake.”

Not sure he wanted to try talking just yet, especially after that first word, he made the sign for water, which Steve jumped up to get.

After a few sips, the god-awful dryness was gone, and he smiled at the blond. “Hi, babe.”

“Hi,” Steve replied, voice almost cracking. “Oh my god-”

Bucky frowned and grabbed for Steve with his left hand, pulling him back down into the chair and resting his forehead on Bucky’s hip. “I’m okay,” Bucky murmured. “It sucked—it _sucks_ —but it’s over now.”

Famous last words.

* * *

He usually loved Cho, but he would happily turn all of her things in her house upside-down. She wouldn’t let him get out of bed for another week, and Steve kept him on bed rest for even longer. “Steve.”

“No.”

“Steve-”

“No, Buck.”

“Cho said-”

“Cho wasn’t the one with a goddamn _hole_ almost blown in her side.”

Bucky sighed. Carefully, because no matter what he said, his ribs _did_ still ache. Just a little. “But PT-”

“Doesn’t usually start until you’re healed.” Steve fixed him with a look, and Bucky sighed.

“Fine. But if you won’t let me out of bed, the least you could do is get in it with me.”

Steve chuckled but ultimately did climb in, scooting right next to Bucky, settling when they were nose-to-nose. “Hi,” he announced with a grin, and Bucky laughed.

“Hi yourself.” He pulled Steve closer and tucked himself under the blond’s chin, closing his eyes and exhaling the tension.

Steve hummed. “You gonna fall asleep on me?”

“‘S not like you’ll let me do anything else.” He gave Steve’s neck a chaste kiss.

Steve squirmed, because Bucky knew all his ticklish spots even when he didn’t mean it, and chuckled. “Damn straight.”

Bucky knew he was still high on meds, so he blamed what he said next on that. “I think straight’s the wrong word to use when it come to us.”

Steve snickered and kissed his temple. “Go to sleep, babe.”

Suddenly, that sounded like an excellent idea.

* * *

Bucky hissed in pain as he tried to use his left arm to reach up for a glass.

Barely looking up, Steve admonished, “Buck...”

“Goddammit, I _know,_ ” he said, biting back sudden frustrated tears. He _hated_ this.

 _Apparently_ the Hydra guys had some type of localized, specialized EMP meant for his arm.

 _Apparently_ he doesn’t usually rest the full weight of his arm on his shoulder socket.

 _Apparently_ doing so suddenly causes the socket to tear.

So he’s been living with a _torn shoulder socket._ What the fuck.

Stuck in his self-pity storm, he failed to notice Steve coming up. “Babe.”

He started. “What?”

The blond smiled sadly. “You’re doing it again.”

He reached up—with his right hand—to wipe at his face, then grab a glass. “Yeah,” he said, tired, low.

Steve sighed and came around the island he’d been leaning on to pull Bucky into a careful hug, dropping a kiss on his temple. “This didn’t break you,” Steve reminded him. “I know you feel broken, but this is just a temporary setback. You’re too strong for this to break you. But it’s okay to be cracked for a while. Because that crack gets smaller and smaller every day, and it means you’re healing.”

Bucky sighed wetly. “I know,” he murmured, leaning into Steve’s warmth. “But it can be hard to remember when I can’t do anything for myself.”

“You can do plenty for yourself,” Steve said wryly, bringing to mind the time Steve had jokingly offered to tie Bucky’s shoes for him.

Bucky had thrown a shoe at his head.

Bucky’s a sniper for a reason.

Steve had a solid black eye for about a day.

In the present, Bucky laughed wryly, then pushed away to fill his glass with water. “Yeah. Doesn’t feel like it, though.”

Steve pulled closer to carefully hug him from behind, dropping a kiss on his injured shoulder. “You’ll be better soon,” Steve reminded him. “You’ve just gotta get through a couple weeks of suck first.” He stepped back, grabbing Bucky’s hand and pulling him to the couch. “You know in Japan, there’s a process where broken pottery is fixed by adding gold mixed with lacquer to it. So it’s fixed, it works just the same it always has, but it’s worth more now, because of the uniqueness of it.” He kisses Bucky’s cheek. “You might not’ve been healed with gold, but you’ve been healed regardless, and that shows strength, that shows something you can never measure the worth of.”

Bucky sighed but finally gave him a small smile. “I might need you to remind me of that sometimes.”

“Always,” Steve offered immediately, like Bucky knew he would. “Whenever you need. And maybe even when you don’t.” He grinned, and Bucky laughed, pulling him closer to kiss his cheek.

“Y’know? I might just be okay with that.”


End file.
